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A Quick Guide to E-Mail Lists for the Unwired

For those of you who aren't tied to your computer, you might not be familiar with the concept of e-mail mailing lists. This little article will describe the nature of mailing lists, how to get on one, and how to start your own. Please note that all these comments apply to forums as well, which weren't very prevalent when this article was first written.

What Lists Do
There are a variety of e-mail mailing lists: the most common ones are online news services, newsletters/announcements and discussion lists. Online news services deliver summaries of major news stories with links to the complete stories which are usually located on the web page of the organization publishing the e-mail list. One example would be the New York Times online edition. Newsletter/Announcement mailing lists are similar to the post I receive from the U.S. Consulate in Bali which sends updates on security matters and other concerns for Americans resident in Bali. Information is sent to you but you have no input into what the e-mail contains. Discussion lists have a variety of functions depending on the list itself. Generally they serve as forums to discuss issues within a defined area. For example, there are lists dedicated to early childhood education, middle school education, k-12 administrative issues, major league baseball, computer issues for newbies, writing techniques for professional writers. If you are on a discussion list, you can be actively involved in the production of information that is sent out to list members. Generally on a discussion list, someone has a question or a comment on an issue, say printing problems with an Epson printer. They post a question about why their printer isn't functioning. Members of the list then can respond with suggestions about how to fix the problem, where to get replacement parts, or irreverent comments about why the sender of the original post doesn't use a different brand of printer.

Characteristics of Discussion Lists

Moderated vs. non-moderated
Your list is going to be moderated or non-moderated. On moderated lists, one person, usually the owner or manager, filters all incoming mail and makes a decision about whether to post the new message to the list or not. Some non-moderated lists can change to the moderated form during periods of intense discussion. I have been on several lists where discussions have become extremely heated with lots of ad hominem comments. Requests for the list to become moderated were resisted by the owner and eventually a group of list members split off to begin their own moderated list. On a non-moderated list, member's posts are automatically placed without going through a human editor. I prefer this type of list as a rolling/free-wheeling discussion can get going without the intervention of the moderator.

Restricted vs. open to all
Some lists are restricted to certain categories of people, like theoretical mathematicians or members of Al Green's bowling club. Other lists are open to anyone who requests access.

Familiar Personality Types on Mailing Lists
After being a member of a list for a while, you'll get to recognize a number of different online personality types. People on lists like to consider themselves part of a community or family, and like in any community or family, there are a variety of roles that need to be filled. The list below is not meant to be exhaustive, but purely illustrative. My apologies if you recognize yourself below.

Mother/Father
Mom and Dad offer helpful responses to everyone's questions and comments. When a fight breaks out they are quick to scold the instigators and demand that everyone behave. Just like in "real" life, Mom and Dad can get overprotective and overcontrolling - sometimes they break up some great online arguments before they really get a chance to get going. But, again just like in offline world, they're good to have around.

Big Brother/Big Sister
They know everything and everything they say is of major importance. They have to put their two cents in on every question or issue that arises, and either implicitly or explicitly they will let you know that their perspective is the only one worth considering.

Cheerleader
Whatever is said has redeeming value and is clever and worthwhile. The cheerleader likes to post lots of two word messages saying, "I agree" or "good point." Cheerleaders are nice to have if your online personality needs some positive outside affirmation, if not you might tire of their many identical messages.

The Bully
Have something that you think is a cool contribution to the ongoing discussion? The Bully will make sure that you are put in your place. The Bully uses a variety of strategies to make sure you never want to say anything ever again - nastiness, sarcasm, verbal intimidation and just plain old outright rudeness. Mom and Dad will make sure the Bully knows that his presence online is not appreciated or wanted, but The Bully doesn't care. The Bully often hides behind online names and generic e-mail addresses, i.e., rooster@aol.com that make it hard to actually pin him/her down.

Grandma/Grandpa
Usually someone who has been around for some time, Granny and Gramps use the gentle approach when tempers flare during an online discussion. These are nice folks to have around to remind us that good manners and politeness are valuable qualities even in cyberspace.

The Lurker
Did you ever go to school or work with someone whose presence you were aware of , but who never said anything? That's The Lurker. These folks like to follow discussions (often on many lists), but don't really contribute. When you first get on a list, lurking is a good strategy as it gives you a chance to discover the particular etiquette of your list.

How to Start Your Own Mailing List
Check out OneList.com or Tropica.com. You can arrange to start your own list for free. Then you need to figure out how to get subscribers in order to make your list really interesting. I recently joined a new sports list only to have it fizzle out after a few weeks. Unless you have some really arcane topic that you want to discuss, you're probably best off looking around and joining one of the thousands of established lists out there.

How to Get on an E-mail Mailing List
Check out Liszt, the Mailing List Directory at www.liszt.com. They have thousands of lists organized around topics. You can use the links to find out more about the characteristics of each of the lists. Some of the lists that are noted tend to be rather inactive, while others can generate loads of mail. If you want to minimize the amount of mail that you receive, you can request that only be sent a digest which is a collection of messages that are sent to the list and then sent to you in one e-mail.

Perhaps the best way to find a good list is through word-of-mouth. You probably have friends with similar interests and they may already be on an e-mail list. Ask them what the good ones are.

TipWorld - http://www.tipworld.com sends out daily reviews of e-mail lists and I have found this to be an excellent source of information about good lists that are floating around.

Once you become a member of an e-mail discussion list, you will be sent a list of rules and procedures for your list. Make sure that you save them somewhere so that when you want to post messages, leave the list, or change your type of mail on the list, you know the proper procedures. You'll find one of the most irritating aspects of mailing lists is the number of messages that are posted that read "unsubscribe."

E-mail mailing lists can provide you with valuable information, keep you updated on late-breaking news, amuse you in the wee hours of the morning when you can't sleep, and help you dazzle your colleagues with all the wonderful little nuggets of trivia that you can glean from your list.